Hedonic and utilitarian shopping goals: The online experience

Marketers offering Web-based shopping typically try to provide a convenient, safe, and pleasant online environment, appropriate to addressing shoppers' functional goals. They might also try to create an experience that encourages more escapist elements of “flow”, a sense of deep involvement that is intrinsically enjoyable, because they assume that this enhanced experience leads to more online buying. The present research suggests that utilitarian flow elements that facilitate shopping may indeed increase purchasing. However, hedonic elements of flow are found to be unrelated to online buying, although they are positively related to outcomes associated with pathological Internet use.     

Factors influencing women's decision to leave an organization following childbirth

The purpose of this study was to understand the reasons why college-educated women leave organizations after childbirth. Results from 228 women who participated in a study of intention to work following childbirth indicated specific work and family factors that differentiated mothers who returned to work from mothers who stayed home after childbirth. Comparisons were also made between women who had a child and those who anticipated having a child. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for organizational policy makers.     

NPO branding: preliminary lessons from major players

• Are nonprofits (NPOs) exhibiting the brand orientation believed to be critical to successful outcomes? To answer this question, we investigate the brand orientation and brand management of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), American Red Cross (ARC), and The Salvation Army to assess the implementation of brand concepts in two different locations within the USA compared to each agency's central body. Despite the support of some propositions, there exists inconsistent evidence of strong brand management in the organizations studied. The variation of brand visuals, missions, and taglines indicates that good structure, policy, and guidelines are not enough. There must be true brand orientation, which includes oversight of consistent application of all brand constructs to achieve organizational goals. This study provides a framework upon which future in‐depth empirical research may be based. The authors outline these next steps as a foundation for enhancing the study and practice of brand management in NPOs.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Organizations Behaving Badly: When Are Discreditable Actions Likely to Damage Organizational Reputation?

Everyday there are revelations of organizations behaving in discreditable ways. Sometimes these actions result in damage to an organization’s reputation, but often they do not. In this article, we examine the question of why external stakeholders may overlook disclosed discreditable actions, even those entailing ethical breaches. Drawing on stigmatization theory, we develop a model to explain the likelihood of reputational loss following revelations of discreditable actions. The model integrates four properties of actions (perceived control, perceived certainty, perceived threat, and perceived deviance), stakeholder motivation, and media coverage. Implications for theory and for practitioners concerned with reputation management are discussed.     

An Analysis of U.S. Multinationals’ Recruitment Practices in Mexico

The frequency of discriminatory language in job advertisements placed by U.S. multinational corporations operating in Mexico was compared with that of Mexican companies using content analysis. A sample of 300 ads placed by companies from each culture was analyzed and coded by two groups of coders to calculate the frequency of discriminatory language in the job ads with respect to age, gender, physical appearance and marital status. Results of a chi square analysis revealed that U.S. multinationals firms in Mexico utilize discriminatory language in job ads less frequently in the categories of age, gender and marital status. This result suggests that the legal and cultural framework of the country of origin of U.S. enterprises in Mexico may be influencing their actual recruitment practice in Mexico, and in turn, help them in setting a positive example of non-discrimination in recruitment among their Mexican counterparts.     

Authentic subcultural membership: Antecedents and consequences of authenticating acts and authoritative performances

The postmodern consumer often finds authenticity in communities of consumption including those that are based around a focal brand. Two means through which authenticity can be achieved are an individual authenticating act or a collective authoritative performance. Using this dual lens, the contested nature of authenticity within subcultures is explored. Drawing on long, interpretive interviews with surfers, skaters, and snowboarders, it was found that the contested nature of authentic community membership is driven by different identity benefits, including flow and kinship. These two separate benefits lead members to engage different brand‐related cues when seeking an authentic brand partner. This paper advances the understanding of subcultural authenticity by identifying the diversity of identity goals sought from membership of consumption communities and by linking antecedents and outcomes of authenticity, and associated consumption behaviors. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Migrating to the East: a qualitative investigation of acculturation and leisure activities

This study sought to explore leisure behaviours associated with acculturation and immigration experiences among emigrants from the United States and Canada who moved to South Korea. Three main themes were identified as leisure engagement associated with acculturation: (a) embracing new leisure behaviours, (b) experiencing dynamics of interpersonal relationships and (c) improving cultural understandings. The findings of this study indicated that leisure provided an opportunity for participants to develop the ability to adapt to a new environment and gain cultural knowledge. In addition, this study indicates that as a result of leisure activities, participants explored, understood and experienced a new cultural environment that may facilitate acculturation.